| Details | | Publication Date: | 1997-07-01 | | Editor: | Karal A. Marling |
| Size | | Length: | 223 pages | | Height: | 11.8 in | | Width: | 10.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 55.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
Through plans, posters, models, drawins, and paintings created by Walt Disney Incorporated's "Imagineering" department, this volume explores popular and critical responses to the architecture of Disney parks from 1955 to today.
Uniting a roster of authors chosen from wide-ranging disciplines, this study is the first to examine the influence of Disneyland on both our built environment and our architectural imagination. Tracing the relationship of the Disney parks to their historical forebears, it charts Disneyland's evolution from one man's personal dream to a multinational enterprise, a process in which the Disney "magic" has moved ever closer to the real world. Editor Karal Ann Marling, Professor of Art History and American Studies at the University of Minnesota, draws upon her pioneering work in the Disney archives to reconstruct and analyze the intentions and strategies behind the parks. She is joined by Marty Sklar, Vice Chairman and Principal Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, historian Neil Harris, art historian Erika Doss, geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, critic Greil Marcus, and architect Frank Gehry to provide a unique perspective on one of the great post-war American icons.
Industry Reviews
While not an apology as such for the man and his creations, this volume takes Disney largely on his own terms, providing, especially in editor Karal Ann Marling's extended essay, new details about the evolution of his thinking. The comments of two Disney insiders round out the story. Lavishly illustrated by a host of artistic conceptions from the Disney archives, much of the book's writing is eloquent and insightful. . . . Each author is sympathetic to Disney, but cultural critic Greil Marcus makes overt the counterattack with a scathing review of Disney criticism. Marcus scores some good points. Still, for all the information the book provides, Disney is better documented than interpreted here. Although the book confirms Disney's importance to America's media-saturated culture in the late 20th century, it is more likely to provoke debate than to alter prevailing interpretation.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company.
Gillette
This [is an] engrossing catalog. . . . [There are] salient essays and . . . stunning color reproductions. . . . The chronology and sources sections are serviceable; an index is, regrettably, lacking. Still, this is highly recommended for academic design, architecture, film, and cultural studies collections.
Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company.
Clement
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
